BIBLIOnomics: Redefining Corporate Gifting and Start-up Success

When corporate gifting can often default to generic tokens, BIBLIOnomics, a Halifax-based start-up brings personalization, thoughtfulness, and storytelling back to the forefront of business relationships. 

With a career spanning media advertising, digital marketing, and publishing, BIBLIOnomics CEO & founder Alex Liot has a talent for spotting opportunities. While serving as Chief Marketing Officer for the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association (APMA), Alex noticed a major gap in how Canadian-authored books were marketed; Canadian-authored books represented only 10% of the $1.6 billion book market in Canada. 

“All the efforts were advocacy-driven,” Alex explains. “The message was, ‘Support Canadian books because it’s the right thing to do.’ But that doesn’t create genuine connections or excitement.”

One of Alex’s earliest breakthroughs came through a project with Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC). Instead of giving away typical corporate swag, NSCC began offering curated collections of books by local authors. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating the potential of books as powerful tools for relationship-building. Inspired by this success, Alex left APMA in 2022 and launched BIBLIOnomics, initially offering consulting services to publishers. Over time, the business evolved to focus on a more scalable and impactful niche: corporate gifting.

The turning point for BIBLIOnomics came in 2024 when Alex realized the long-term sustainability of his venture lay beyond the publishing sector. “The economics of the book industry are terrible. I knew I couldn’t feed my family on that alone.”

The company pivoted to focus on BIBLIOgifting, a corporate gifting solution for professional service providers like wealth managers, lawyers, and consultants. The platform combines AI technology with a database of over 20,000 Canadian-authored books to help gift-givers create personalized collections reflecting shared interests, while meeting compliance requirements. Recipients select their preferred book through the platform, which handles delivery and includes a personal message from the gift-giver.

"This is more than just gifting," Alex explains. "We're addressing two critical challenges: creating authentic connections with high-net-worth clients who seemingly have everything, while navigating compliance requirements. Our platform ensures gifts stay within budget and brand guidelines, making thoughtful gifting manageable at scale."

"Gifting books is powerful because they open doors to conversations outside our daily business scope. They help us strengthen client teams and relationships by connecting through new ideas," says Margaret Chapman, COO & Partner at Narrative Research.

"Imagine you're a wealth manager working with clients who can buy anything they want," explains Alex. "A generic corporate gift won't resonate, and expensive gifts often cross compliance lines. But what's powerful is when you discover shared interests through these books – whether it's a mutual passion for fly fishing, a shared love of architecture, or the joy of reading to grandkids. You're not just giving a gift; you're creating authentic connections that build lasting professional relationships."

Like many start-ups, BIBLIOnomics faced its share of challenges, particularly in securing support and recognition within traditional innovation ecosystems. Alex’s journey with the Invest Nova Scotia Accelerate program is a case in point. Despite applying multiple times and initially struggling to convey the uniqueness of his business, Alex’s persistence paid off. “Once we got through the gate, everything changed,” he says. “The support we received was exceptional.”

Through Accelerate, BIBLIOnomics not only met but surpassed its milestones, completing an entire sales cycle and securing additional funding to expand. Alex credits the program’s flexibility and understanding of genuine innovation as key factors. 

“The system isn’t perfect, but when it works, it really works,” he noted. “Programs like Accelerate are vital for identifying and nurturing start-ups with real potential.”

Alex’s location in Halifax is also a strategic advantage. While he started BIBLIOnomics out of a treehouse in his backyard (yes, you read that correctly), being part of Volta’s vibrant start-up community has opened doors to invaluable networking opportunities. “There’s no excuse for geography to be a limitation anymore,” Alex argues. “But physical proximity to a hub like Volta is still a massive advantage.”

Looking ahead, BIBLIOnomics is laser-focused on scaling its corporate gifting solution, particularly within the wealth management sector. Having met its 2024 sales targets, the company recently announced they were chosen as one of the first companies in the country to land $35,000 in funding from the federal Scale AI program and is projecting 10X growth for 2025.

With plans to expand into Ontario and British Columbia, the company is targeting $250,000 in revenue from its next sales sprint, with a pipeline already exceeding $500,000. By 2026, Alex envisions entering the US market, potentially growing annual revenues to over $2.5 million that same year.

Despite these ambitious goals, Alex is committed to maintaining a sustainable, customer-driven growth model. “We’re not chasing venture capital or billion-dollar valuations. Our focus is on building a profitable, scalable business that delivers real value.”

This approach reflects a broader shift in the start-up ecosystem. As Alex puts it, “Personal opinion, we need to move away from the ‘TAM-fantasy’ of unicorn valuations and focus on creating more sustainable, impactful businesses. If we can build 10 more $10 million companies in Nova Scotia, that’s a huge win.”

BIBLIOnomics is attempting to build a blueprint for what modern entrepreneurship can look like in Atlantic Canada. By combining deep industry knowledge and a unique value proposition with a relentless focus on execution, Alex has built a business that not only thrives in a competitive market but also serves as a model for others.

Whether it’s through expanding into new markets, refining its product offerings, or inspiring other entrepreneurs, Alex and his team are proving that success isn’t about fitting into a traditional mold. It’s about creating your own path—and having the courage to follow it.

Invest Nova Scotia Accelerate helps Nova Scotia technology companies get investment-ready. If you have a high potential start-up approaching investment readiness, learn how we can help.